The Stationary Clock Hand
by Laser Lance 720
Summary: The Weasley Clock continued to gain more and more hands over the years, but the one that held Albus's attention was the one that no longer spun with the others. Written for the "Three Prompts Challenge"


**Done for the Three Prompts Competition by alohamora080. My three prompts were as follows; Albus Severus Potter, clock, 'I don't need your help'.**

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It wasn't uncommon for the entire Weasley gang to find themselves crammed inside the Weasley home for whatever holiday or occasion had come their way. Flocking from all corners of England, the Weasleys all gathered together, never once complaining about the lack of beds to accommodate their mass numbers. It was always a cheery environment. Laughter sprang from every inch of the home, giggles of children latched onto the air as the hoard of youngsters raced around furniture and through the open backyard. It was always a joyful atmosphere.

Despite the merriment around him, Albus Potter's attention was placed onto a much more mundane sight. The three year old found the clock sitting on the kitchen table fascinating. Where the clocks at home were decorated with numbers; half of which he was proud that he knew, and two long, slowly moving hands, this clock was much more attractive. A dozen or so hands moved across its surface, a red headed (and occasional blonde or brunette) face was displayed where Albus knew a small arrow should be. Instead of squarely written black numbers, the hands of the clock pointed towards words, curved beautifully into the ribbon like shape that framed the face. He couldn't make out all the words, but did know one of them, the one that most of the hands were pointed to; The Burrow.

Albus raised a hand, squirming about onto his knees in the high backed chair, to reach the clock better. His fingers moved along the hands, recognizing the faces staring back at him instantly.

There was one face though, that Albus couldn't quite place. This hand that wasn't moving along the face of the clock with the others, instead had been placed on the light slab of wood that was embedded just under the clock face. The smirking red headed in that picture looked so much like his Uncle George, but so many years younger. A strange set of letters was scribbled along the hand. Albus squinted trying to read the words.

Hoping to get a better view of the mysterious person, Albus made to climb onto the table. Unfortunately for the toddler, the rickety chair wasn't pleased with his sudden change in position. With one knee at the edge of the table, and his untied shoelaces trapped under his other foot, Albus let out a startled yelp as the chair rocked and tipped to one side.

Bracing for impact, he was relieved whenever a pair of hands caught him under his armpits. The chuckle that was coming from above him didn't please the child as much.

"Careful there buddy. Wouldn't want you falling over and breaking yourself." The voice was one Albus knew well.

"I don't need your help." Albus huffed dramatically, frustrated in needing the rescue. "I a big boy."

"I know you are." The voice was chuckling still, as he sat the child back onto the now righted chair.

Once sat down, Albus turned his attention back onto the clock. Squinting, he finished making out the set of letters. "Uncle George. Isn't Fred your son?"

"Yes." George's voice held a slight hitch to it as he saw what Albus was reaching for.

Albus turned from the clock finally, smiling at his uncle with a gap toothed grin. "Then why does he look so big."

George's smile faltered for a fraction of a second, but Albus didn't pick it up. "Well Al," he spoke softly. Drawing up a chair next to his nephew, George reached for the clock, pulling it closer to the two, and allowed his own fingers to trail over the name. "Fred is my son. He's Fred Jr. But this, this handsome guy here, is a different Fred. My brother."

"Brother?" Albus's eyebrow rose. "Like Uncle Percy and Uncle Ron?"

"Yes." George nodded. "But Fred… Fred was my twin you see." The smile faltered.

"Twin?" Albus's attention spiked at a word he knew. "That means you were born at the same time."

"Ya."

"And you look alike?"

"Ya."

"So where is he?"

It was a simple enough question coming from a child eager to meet another relative. George couldn't help but feel his heart tightened ever so. "He… He passed away. Before you were born."

"Passed away?" Albus asked carefully, not knowing the phrase, but picking up on the sorrow in his uncle's voice.

George paused for a moment, remembering the way he had had to explain this to his own children. It had been easier with Roxanna and Fred Jr as they had been older whenever they had first asked about the uncle they would never met. Albus though, he was only three, slowly coming up on four, and George wasn't sure how he was supposed to go about explaining, without opening forty other cans of worms that he didn't know if he should be answering. He knew that the young Potter wouldn't stop wondering though about the clock hand, and George couldn't walk away leaving the boy's questions unanswered, and his brother's sacrifice unknown.

Finally removing his hand from the clock, he turned fully to Albus. "Passed away is another way of saying that someone… went to Heaven."

"Heaven? Like Daddy's, mommy and daddy?" Albus bit his lip for a moment thinking. "Daddy says that Heavens far, far away and don't have a Floo, and that's why I can't visit them."

"Ya." George felt a bit of relief at having to not have to explain the concept of death to the toddler.

"So Uncle Fred is with grandma and grandpa?"

"Ya." George replied, smiling ever so slightly at the child. Albus looked up at him with wide, inquisitive eyes and a large smile. "He's up in Heaven, making jokes on other angles."

Albus laughed, before his face turned serious. "Is he watching us?"

George was taken aback by the question. "Yes. I think he is."

"Cool." Albus continued to smile, reaching out to touch the smiling picture. "I like Uncle Fred."

Ruffling the toddler's hair, George couldn't help but smile widely at the pure innocents of the child before him. "I think he'd like you too, Al."

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_**Fine. **_

**I had three different ideas for this. The first was as follows above. The second was this huge scavenger**__**hunt Rose and Scorpius set up for Albus after his alarm clock woke up Slytherin house one too many times (I may still finish that one). The third was following the Potters getting their own family clock, and the hands that were added and removed through the years. That last one involved a few more deaths than I had wished at the time. **

**So I decided to go with the (much shorter) idea with George and Albus. Because… this idea just happened to be the one that played through my head most.**


End file.
